Featuring the works of Karmen

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Yesterday I said I was working on some photos I took of my dad. I started using GIMP 2 on my newer laptop and then this morning I remembered the photo editing site Phixr. I like Phixr because it has a lot of interesting filters to help mediocre photos. It also gives me ideas on what techniques I can use in my photo editing and as well as paintings.

So, this is one of the pictures I did using GIMP 2.

I put a blue overlay there….I liked this photo when I took it. And I’ll still work with it some more.

This next photo I did with Phixr.

I really liked how this turned out. I think it tells more of a story and has a sense of atmosphere.

I have a small collection of candid photos I took of my father. He doesn’t like having his photo taken but I ask and he concedes. I did the photos in an attempt to try to understand him better. He doesn’t always talk about what he is going through. In any case, I’ve been trying to edit the photos (taken with the camera phone) and it has been interesting.

I haven’t done this kind of work in quite a while so nothing is looking right to me. I hope to have one I am happy with by this evening.

I wish I could say I have been busy with all sorts of creative projects, but that is not the case.

I have wanted to do an update and what has been going on in my life and here it is:

The past couple of years has been very chaotic for me. My father has two forms of cancer: Multiple Myeloma and Myelodysplasitc Syndrome (MDS) with Lukemia. They stopped treatment of the Multiple Myeloma to treat the MDS as it can go down hill very fast for him if not treated.

The MDS has really taken a toll on his mental state, The chemotherapy has destroyed his short term memory. It can be like dealing with someone with a traumatic brain injury. He constantly asks the same questions over and over again. He needs to get blood thinners every night and needs to reminded to take his medications.

My Mom is being strong and being a loving wife to the best of her abilities. It is hard for me as a daughter to see my father in declining health, so I can only imagine what is like of her to seeing the man she loves waste away. My sister lives away from home but close enough to visit. She has her career with DoJ agency and wishes the situation were different so she could spend more time with the family and sharing the responsibility of caring for our Dad. She helps when she can and visits as often as she can. He is still going at the age of 82 and we blessed to have him our lives still.

I have mainly been doing photography projects as it is easy for me to pick up the camera and capture images. I am starting to paint again, slowly. It can be challenging to carve out the time.

I will be posting updates of my photo work and any illustrations and paintings I work on. I may start doing my 3D art and mix media.

Thank you so much for reading. Please keep your faith in my and my work.

Thank you so much for following and reading this blog. I really appreciate it.

So far, my start to the New Year has been slow. I’m still dealing with a lot of family issues and serious financial woes that can seriously suck the joy and imagination out of my life. But my goal for this year is to get myself out there more. What does that mean? That means promoting myself more, not being so shy about my work.

I do feel self conscious about my work/art because it may not look or feel like what is popular with current art consumers/customers. But I can only do what I know and what I feel and what moves me. I can only hope that what moves me can possibly move others and with that there is a connection. I don’t want to make something pretentious or fake or forced. I want my artwork to feel like a natural extension of myself.

I haven’t even had room to write either. That is bothersome because there is so much I want to tell. Please check the link along the side of my blog and if you can help out by donating or requesting a commission piece or buying from my Etsy store.

These are all things Artists (successful Artists) say to those of us struggling in the muck of our creative juices and impulses. “If you aren’t living and breathing your art, then you are not a true Artists.” Unfortunately, in this economy, it is hard to “live and breathe”‘ that Art when you have bills to pay and be accountable too. You don’t want to just do things for the money, but society is truly set up to kill the creative spirit. That is how I’ve been feeling lately.

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but my mom had surgery recently. She is recovering..luckily my sister was able to take some time off to help. But for the past week, it has been me with both parents and it can get very frustrating and stressful. Considering my own back and stress issues….yeah. Finding the energy and will to complete projects is difficult. Finding the time to really flesh all I want to flesh out is just vexing.

Below, is blast from the past. A vector graphic I called DJ Na-O. It has a lot of elements I enjoy. I like the colors a lot. It is like he is the DJ for spring or something or the DJ of the Dawn…LOL